Lasers in gynecology

Abstract The CO 2 laser is widely used in gynecology. It has been most effective in the treatment of intraepithelial cervical neoplasia. Tissue healing is superior to that observed with other destructive modalities. The laser is also useful in the treatment of vaginal lesions because relatively inaccessible sites can be treated by allowing reflection of the beam through the use of mirrors. The laser has also been used intra‐abdominally primarily for adhesiolysis, fimbrioplasty, tubal reanastomosis and cornual reimplantation. The laser has also been useful for the treatment of ovarian endometriosis. The scarring resulting from laser destruction is minimal and patients generally have a much shorter course of convalescence than when the scalpel or electrocoagulation techniques are used.